Revered rock guitarists, whose bands have taken a hiatus, are sceptical about the awkward ‘comeback’ questions.

But Jerry Cantrell, the founding father of Birmingham-bound grunge pioneers Alice In Chains, is no ordinary cookie.

Latest album The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here, released in May, came four years after Black Gives Way To Blue, which itself came 14 years after their self-titled third LP.

He takes the teaser in his stride, plainly aware of the potential spin-offs of “was the return money-motivated?” or “will the new tracks stand up against the classics?”

His simple retort: “What’s important is that we keep making records we are proud of and best represent the band.”

Cantrell, 47, continues: “Hopefully people will continue to like us. The days of people putting out two records a year has been dead for 20 years.”

Quite well he should be proud of the new tracks, because as he speaks, fresh from supporting the mighty Metallica at the Rock In Rio festival, the third single from the band’s latest album was on its way to number five in the US Mainstream Rock chart.

Hollow and Stone, the first two tracks from the LP, both topped that particular chart giving the band modern-day commercial success that eclipses their early 90s heyday.

That’s no slight on the newer material, for it boasts peerless stoner-rock riffs of old – simply the highest of compliments to what Jerry and the boys produced before.

Forget Nirvana’s Nevermind, Pearl Jam’s Ten or Badmotorfinger by Soundgarden, it was AIC’s 1992 offering Dirt that was the seminal album of the early 90s grunge scene in Seattle.

It continues to get better with each listen, like with the EPs Sap and Jar of Flies.

“We’ve been quite fortunate to have a lot of songs that mean a lot to people,” is Cantrell’s modest take.

There is of course a reason why AIC stopped recording for so many years.

Jerry could only look on powerlessly as his close friend Layne Staley, the group’s singer but also its heart, soul and vision, sank into the drug addiction which eventually took his life in 2002.

If that loss wasn’t colossal enough, Mike Starr, Chains’ original bassist who left the band in 1993, died in March 2011 after an overdose.

All questions about them both are off-limits, for the pain still haunts Jerry and is rumoured to be the reason why he neglects classics such as Junkhead – to honour Layne’s memory.

Alice in Chains play the Academy in Birmingham on November 13 and Jerry is more than happy to speak of his well-documented adoration for the city’s musical heritage – in particular Black Sabbath.

“It’s like a second home to us,” he says. “Birmingham has produced a lot of great music that I grew up listening to.

“It’s an important city in terms of musical history so it will be nice to go back there.

“Black Sabbath are one of the stronger influences on our music unabashedly – they are one of the greatest.” As you might expect, he’s all for the Sabbath’s reunion album and world tour.

“It’s great to see a band go through changes in life and personnel and continue to move forward.” A mantra his own band clearly appears to be following.